ROB CRAUDERUEFF: CEO & FOUNDER

Rob brings more than a decade of experience advancing clean energy projects in New York City and across the nation.  

Rob incubated concepts to scale neighborhood-based clean energy initiatives during his graduate studies at MIT.  Since returning to New York, Rob has led the Crauderueff team in linking creative financing, community planning and solar development across New York.    

Rob previously served as Policy Director at Sustainable South Bronx, where he supervised a team advancing clean energy, land use planning, and workforce development initiatives.   While working in the Bronx, he successfully advanced legislation through the NYC Council and NYS legislature requiring citywide green infrastructure incentives.   

Rob’s leadership is steeped in cutting edge research.  Rob developed innovative approaches to clean energy practices, with respect to advancing social justice, in numerous capacities: as researcher with the Columbia Earth Institute’s Cool Cities Project; the Harvard Graduate School of Design's Climate Justice Project; the MIT Community Innovators Lab; and the MIT Program on Human Rights & Justice.   Rob holds a Master in City Planning degree from MIT and a B.A. in urban history from Columbia University.

STEVE SCHWERD: SOLAR ENGINEER, P.E.

Steve Schwerd supports the Crauderueff team in an advisory role with respect to reviewing solar designs, developing internal operations, and ensuring quality assurance for project delivery. 

With over 25 years in Consulting Engineering, presently as CEO of Schwerd Consulting, Mr. Schwerd has proven accomplishments in engineering design; project, client, staff and financial management; business development; engineering operations; and firm leadership. Experience ranges from creating small MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) departments to a Principal/Shareholder role as the engineering leader for a large multi-office, international full service Architectural & Engineering firm.

With energy and sustainable design a key focus for years, Steve then became involved in renewable energy and design in 2008 as Solar PV became an increasingly viable option.  He developed and led a full service engineering team that emerged as a nationally recognized engineering leader for solar, having completed over 350 projects and 300MW across 25 states prior to his departure.  Upon establishing Schwerd Consulting, Steve can now follow his passion for renewable energy and be fully committed to and active in the Solar industry.

He has worked with many of the leading solar companies and vendors across the country and is the driving force on all firm projects and industry endeavors.

Steve's strengths are noted as being able to effectively communicate technical issues to non-technical people, and being easy and enjoyable to do business with, while being agressive in the pursuit of delivering solutions and results.

Sam Dorbor: Solar Engineer, NABCEP Certified

Sam conducts site assessment and inspection, cost estimating, and project management for the Crauderueff team. He has nine years of experience in the solar industry as engineer, project manager and installer on commercial and residential solar projects. Mr. Dorbor has worked on more than 500 solar projects during this timeframe.

He previously served as Director and Executive Vice President of Engineering and Construction at a New York-based EPC firm, and as a site assessor and design engineer for a residential solar company with projects across the country. Mr. Dorbor completed his Electrical Engineering studies at Rutgers University. He is a NABCEP certified PV installer.  

Will Cardona Jr. – Solar Electrician

Will Cardona conducts site assessments, field inspections, and project management for the Crauderueff team. Mr. Cardona has 12 years of experience in the solar industry, serving as electrician for more than 400 projects during this timeframe.  Mr. Cardona brings a vast range of experience to the Crauderueff team; he has previously served as Operations Manager, Senior Construction Manager, and Project Manager at solar companies in the New York area. Mr. Cardona trained under the tutelage of Master Electricians to develop his craft.  His experience spans both residential and commercial systems.  

KATHLEEN BAKEWELL: CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER

Kathleen Bakewell is the Chief Design Officer of Crauderueff & Associates. She is a registered landscape architect and LEED Accredited Professional with specialties in Neighborhood Development and Building Design + Construction. Kathleen earned her Master in Landscape Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.  She has devoted her 20+ year professional and academic practice to the exploration and creation of productive and ecologically productive landscapes and green infrastructure through connecting natural processes to local and regional ecosystems, infrastructure and cultures.  Currently, this work is focused on urban food and agricultural systems, with an emphasis on the their ecological opportunities.  

Kathleen is a Founding Director of Our Growing Place, a NYCHA children’s food growing and cooking program piloted at Gracie Mansion in 2010. Kathleen is also active in NYC’s sitopian (“food-place”) community and has taught and lectured widely on urban agriculture, at numerous local and national forums including the United Green Building Council’s annual Greenbuild, American Institute of Architects, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Hungry New York, and the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop. She founded and led Sustainable South Bronx’s team that created the SmartRoof demonstration project, featured in the book, “Women in Green.” 

Kathleen contributed to the LEED Regionalization Task Force, the Sustainable Site section of ASHRAE’s Proposed Standard 189.1P, for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings and NYC’s Green Codes Task Force’s landscape section. She has also lectured widely on green infrastructure and high performance landscapes and has taught numerous graduate-level environment planning seminars and urban ecology studios at Yale, Harvard, Columbia and the New Jersey Institute of Technology..